# Wine aficionados: Help me find more stuff I might like



## triad47 (Oct 27, 2009)

I don't really have a developed sense of taste when it comes to wine, I enjoy a glass here and there but there are only a few types I will buy by the bottle.

Namely:

Moscato
Ice wine (Eiswein as I have been corrected) but its expensive!
Gerwurstemenar (totally jacked up the spelling, and its hit and miss with this stuff)

What else should I be looking at? I've noticed that the wines I like are sweeter and more "floral" than the stuff I don't.

I hate Zinfendel and White Zin....am I weird?


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## ekengland07 (May 20, 2009)

triad47 said:


> I don't really have a developed sense of taste when it comes to wine, I enjoy a glass here and there but there are only a few types I will buy by the bottle.
> 
> Namely:
> 
> ...


I have been into wine for quite some time and have taken a few wine tasting trips (Napa, Yadkin Valley, South Africa). I'm big into dry red wines (Cabernet, Malbec, Cabernet Franc) and a few dry whites. Anyhow, after reading your list above and the fact you are into sweet wines. You have DEFINITELY in for a treat. You have a whole world of Rieslings out there that should fit your tastes. It's a major white grape that was made famous in Germany, but most wineries around the world make them. They tend to be sweet and range from off-dry to cloyingly sweet. I'd suggest trying a few and see what you think. I don't drink too many, but have friends who are crazy about them. Plus, there are some real values if you do a little research. I'd browse through a Wine Spectator and look for their suggestions.


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## Jazzmunkee (Jul 3, 2008)

+1 on the Riesling. I prefer red wine myself but my bro is a white wine drinker and he loves it. Good call on the moscato too. That's my favorite white wine and it's hard to find. How do you feel about Rose?


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## triad47 (Oct 27, 2009)

I've never had a Rose, so I'm not sure?

I will have to check into Wine Spectator


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## southoz (Sep 13, 2009)

Come to the Barossa Valley here in South Australia, they make some world class wines, and its only 2hrs from here

Barossa - Australia's most famous wine region

I like a red either Shiraz, Malbec or Cabernet.


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## CheapHumidors (Aug 30, 2007)

I'm not a fan of the white wines myself either. There's a vineyard in Napa I was at a month or so ago that had a SPECTACULAR moscato.

San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine makes some reds that are among the best I've had, and only like $8/bottle. Their port is also among the best I've had.

Personally, with a nice stogie I'll take a cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir. There are also a number of blends that I find are pretty tasty.

If I have to go with a white wine, I also like a pretty cool pinot grigio too. Shiraz is good, Syrah also good. Malbec hit or miss for me.

Dunno if you have twitter or not, but @mmWine does cigar and wine pairing videos. I've gotten some good tips from him.


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## Magicseven (Oct 17, 2009)

I am right there with Eric, dry red. The dryer the better.

It sounds like your just starting, so as you try more you palate will expand.

I would try to find some wine tasting in your area, or find a food in wine show you could attend. Then you could try a bunch without buying a whole bottle.


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## Nitrosportman (Oct 26, 2009)

have you tried any port?


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## adoboboy (Dec 3, 2009)

Sauvignon blanc, not necessarily sweet like some of the wines you mentioned but the floral, grassy notes might be something you may like. It does have a sharp agressive smell, so maybe try a glass at a restaurant first.

There are some great ones out of New Zealand, California, and Loire.


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## cheese (Dec 26, 2009)

Sweet wines, mmm. They're among my favorite wines. If you're just getting started into wine, this isn't all that complicated. As the grape ripens on the vine, it starts to produce more sugar, and therefore a sweeter wine can be made without adding sugar during production of the wine. There is also a fungus (botrytis) that affects grapes (in a good way) which is utilized. This is sometimes referred to as "noble rot".

With that being said, with some exceptions, white grapes tend to work better for making sweet wine so stick with them to start. Some of the most common white grapes used in sweet wine are riesling, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, gewurztraminer, & semillon.

Except for Germany and a few others, many countries wine labels will say "late harvest" indicating that the grape was picked after it was able to produce the extra sugar required for sweet wine. So any wine made from any of the above grapes that is a late harvest should be a sweet wine you're looking for.

Germany:

Germany has a rating stystem they use depending on the sugar level of the grapes at harvest which is required by their laws. From sweetest to least sweet the levels are:

Eiswein*
Trockenbeerenauslese
Beerenauslese
Auslese
Spatelese

*Eiswein is made by allowing the grape to freeze on the vine and the grapes are pressed while still frozen. Some of the water is left behind during the pressing process since it is in ice crystal form. This produces a sweeter, more intense juice to make wine with. I'm not sure how they measure the sugar here, I just know it's at the top.

The are lower levels than this, but they are not sweet wines so we can overlook them for now. Sometimes a wine with a lower level of sugar in the harvested grape will taste sweeter than one from a higher lever depending on the wine makers style. If you have the chance, try various styles form various producers. You may find you like all styles, depending on your mood, what your having to eat with it, etc.

Then there's Sauternes. This is a southern area of Bordeaux that utilizes botrytis and is capable of producing some of the best wines known (read: Chateau d'Yqeum). They also can be among the most expensive. I bought 5 half-size (375 mL) bottles of '99 d'Yquem for $90/bottle and this was an off year for them. This is an absolutely amazing wine and I wish I could afford to try a different year from them but they are insanely pricey. Bottom line, if someone offers you a glass of Sauternes, give it a try.

Remember, wine, just like cigars, sometimes break the rules. The above, I hope, should give you some general guidelines though. I'll post some more later, but I was starting to getting a little long winded. :ear::ear::ear:


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## Dr. Nick (Jan 12, 2010)

southoz said:


> Come to the Barossa Valley here in South Australia, they make some world class wines, and its only 2hrs from here
> 
> I like a red either Shiraz, Malbec or Cabernet.


+100000000 I'm a huge red wine fan and have a few favorites and they're all from Australia.

IMO, nothing beats a good Syrah or Cabernet.

Depending on the price I could suggest some good reds to try that aren't too dry (I have to deal with this in my picking because my wife doesn't like reds that are too dry).

A really good wine I suggest to everyone to try is Educated Guess Cabernet (Cali). It's ~$20/bottle. Or Penfold's Thomas Hyland Shiraz.

Root 1 Cabernet (Chile) is another good one that I was attracted to by the bottle but it turned out to be really nice, especially for ~$7/bottle.

My favorites are John Duvall Entity (06), D'Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz (06), Two Hands Angel's Share (07), Sixth Sense Syrah (07), Altocedro Malbec La Consulta Reserva (04).


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